prudent
pronunciation
How to pronounce prudent in British English:
UK [ˈpruːdnt]
How to pronounce prudent in American English:
US [ˈpruːdnt]
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- Adjective:
- careful and sensible; marked by sound judgment
- showing wise self-restraint in speech and behavior especially in preserving prudent silence
Word Origin
- prudent
- prudent: [14] Prudent and provident are as it were two separate goes at the same word. Both were formed from the Latin prefix prō- ‘before, in advance’ and vidēns, the present participle of vidēre ‘see’ (and hence etymologically mean ‘foreseeing’). The pre-classical coinage was contracted to prūdēns ‘farsighted, wise’, which reached English via Old French prudent. Provident comes from the uncontracted prōvidēns, part of the paradigm of prōvidēre (source of English provide).=> provide
- prudent (adj.)
- late 14c., from Old French prudent "with knowledge, deliberate" (c. 1300), from Latin prudentem (nominative prudens) "knowing, skilled, sagacious, circumspect;" rarely in literal sense "foreseeing;" contraction of providens, present participle of providere "to foresee" (see provide). Related: Prudently.